This document has been developed to summarize the response to the recent survey undertaken
on uphill travel at Shames Mountain. We would like to thank everyone who participated in the
survey, with your feedback allowing us to better understand this diverse user group within our
broader operations.
❖ Background
Uphill traffic at Shames Mountain has increased significantly in the past few years. We estimate
that the amount of skier visits during non-operating hours is above 3000, which represents
around 10% of our total number of visits. This considerable number of visits during non-
operating hours made it clear an uphill travel policy was required for the longevity of the ski hill
and for the safety of the uphill user group.
We implemented a first pass at this policy last year with the primary goal of ensuring uphill
access could continue in a safe manner whilst contending with evolving industry standards.
We acknowledge that the consultation process surrounding this policy could have been
improved and recognize the importance of involving our community of members in key policy
decisions relating to the mountain.
We are continually reviewing ways to better engage and consult with our growing community of
members and relevant stakeholders.
Most recently, this engagement has involved the co-op establishing an Uphill Committee meant
to provide advice and recommendations on policies surrounding uphill travel at Shames
Mountain in consultation with the community.
❖ Introducing the Shames Uphill Committee
The Uphill Committee is made up of a diverse group of members of the community and
representatives from certain backcountry stakeholder groups, including the Mount Remo
Backcountry Society.
In addition to improving communication, the committee has been tasked with identifying ways
that can simultaneously reduce potential liability for the hill and help contribute revenue to the
ongoing efforts to bring the hill’s operations back to fiscal sustainability (see the recent Mountain
Memo for more information on this). We are working on this challenge now with the goal of
updating our uphill policy before the 2023-2024 season starts.
At this time, the committee is made up of the following:
- Christian Theberge, committee chair and Shames General Manager
- Robin Cecioni, Shames Outdoor Operations Manager
- Matt Lucas, representative of the Mount Remo Backcountry Society
- Damien Nee, backcountry enthusiast and snowcat operator
- Hansie Mundhenk, Owner/Operator of Little Cedar Services
- Mattias Fredriksson, backcountry ski photographer
- Nick Gottlieb, backcountry enthusiast and journalist
- Yan Kaczynski, backcountry photographer and ski instructor
The committee is meeting every two weeks to collaboratively develop changes and
improvements to the program.
The committee currently has eight people with room for one more, please send your nomination
to [email protected]
We will vote for new members just after the AGM in September.
We are working to produce a recommendation or set of recommendations for the board of
directors who will be making the final decision about changes for the upcoming season.
❖ Understanding Shames Mountain’s Uphill Users Survey Results
The Uphill Committee recently ran a survey to try to better understand Shames uphill use
patterns and gather input regarding future changes to the uphill policy. The results of that survey
are summarized below.
The Numbers – 280 responses
When do people ski at Shames?
Key Takeaways
- Non-operating days and pre-season see the most usage
- Uphill travel during operating days sees the least usage
- Most users ski during the day, but 40% (110) indicated they ski in the evenings and 20% (51) they ski before 8:30am
What are users doing when skiing uphill at Shames?
Key Takeaways
- A plurality of users reported skinning up to ski down inbounds equally as often as they use Shames to access the backcountry
- A small but significant number of users stick to inbounds skiing and do not access the backcountry
- 40% of users primarily ski backcountry using Shames as an access point
- Just under half of users ski with their dog from time to time
Passes and Memberships
Key Takeaways
- 72% of respondents reported being season passholders last year and plan to buy season passes for ‘23-24
- 75% of respondents reported being co-op members
- Among respondents who are not members, there is considerable confusion about what membership is and who is eligible
- 95% of respondents said they would consider becoming a member if it was clear it would help keep Shames open and operating
Potential Uphill Offerings
Key Takeaways
- There is substantial interest in diverse uphill offerings including events and education opportunities among respondents
Uphill Policy Development
Last Year’s Policy
Key Takeaways
- 82% of respondents are aware that Shames implemented an uphill policy last year, but 18% (49 people) were not – on-site communication (signage) could help solve this
- Freeform feedback on last year’s policy was varied. Some of the more frequently occurring comments included:
- Many users called for rolling back the time limitations, particularly the 8:30am start time
- Calling for better communication of the policy, including periodic social media posts about it, as well as better explanation of the rationale surrounding it
- Relatedly, many users questioned why the black trails were excluded
- Wondering if there might be a low cost operating hours uphill season pass
- Suggestion that the policy should include radio information for contacting ski patrol / MMC base in the event of an emergency (this was only mentioned once but seemed like a good point)
- Not quite on topic, but a large number of comments indicated they felt the “single ride tickets” were too expensive
Future Changes
Key Takeaways
- Freeform feedback on the future of uphill traffic was also varied:
- Some users suggested a seasonal uphill pass for non-operating access, though the majority of these pointed specifically to hill costs as justification – parking lot, bathrooms, etc., with some explicitly suggesting that it be a parking fee.
- The majority of these respondents felt like the standard MMC season pass should cover this, and the “uphill pass” should only be for those who don’t have a regular pass. A few expressed that uphill access should be included in a co-op membership.
- Multiple comments called for a “one-ride uphill season pass” – a pass that allowed users to ride the lift uphill once per operating day for the whole season
- A similar number of responses explicitly called for access to remain open, with a few suggesting calling for donations or a “pay what you can” system as an alternative.
- A number of respondents suggested we could rent backcountry ski gear and avalanche safety equipment
- Many respondents suggested hosting more uphill / backcountry events and clinics, including potentially events in town (i.e. backcountry ski movie screening at the brewery)
- Not really on target, but many respondents highlighted the high costs of passes and tickets of all kinds
- Some users suggested a seasonal uphill pass for non-operating access, though the majority of these pointed specifically to hill costs as justification – parking lot, bathrooms, etc., with some explicitly suggesting that it be a parking fee.
- Freeform feedback to “anything else you want to add?”
- A lot of respondents mentioned the potential development of bike trails for summer use.
Best free form response received: “why don’t you use AI to help write government grant proposals”
❖ Clarifications Regarding the Existing Policy
Clarification on shames mountain area:
-Controlled Recreational Area (CRA) classification
Shames Mountain is classified as a Controlled Recreational Area (CRA), which provides the occupier, My Recreational Mountain Co-operative (MMC), authorization to:
- Establish and delineate a recreation area boundary within the CRA, and designate that boundary by notices, posted signs, fences or otherwise,
- Regulate and prohibit the access & entry of persons & vehicles to the CRA, mainly for safety reasons,
- Control, prohibit and direct the movement and activities of persons within the CRA; and
- Take trespass action against persons who are in non-compliance with the above.
-Occupier Liability Act:
As an Occupier of the CRA, MMC is required to meet the regulatory requirements of the Occupier Liability Act, including provisions on Occupiers duty of care, as described in Part 3 of the Act:
“An occupier of premises owes a duty to take that care that in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable to see that a person, and the person’s property, on the premises, and property on the premises of a person, whether or not that person personally enters on the premises, will be reasonably safe in using the premises.”
Additional information is available from the following links: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/natural-resource-use/resort-development/public-access-and-controlled-recreation-areashttps://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96337_01#section1
Clarification on uphill travel policy:
-Restricted Access Time
In the initial rollout of the policy the time to access the hill was restricted to between 9am and 12am for safety reasons, avoiding any proximity between heavy equipment (snowcat/loader) and users.
- For context, our snowcat used to run any night between 12am to 9am, whilst the loader usually clears the parking lots before 8:30am.
We received feedback that 9am is a bit late to start a long touring day so we changed it to 8:30am during non-operating days only:
- We now try to have our machines off the mountain before 8:30am during non-operating days. If the snowcat or loader is running past 8:30am, we will follow a procedure with the operator and more available staff on site to safely direct machines and uphill users in a safe manner.
During Operating days, access stays prohibited between 12am to 9am for safety reasons:
- Our snowcats have to run until opening to offer fresh groomed runs to our guests.
- We also can not have guests around during our avalanche control which happens right before opening.
- We also encourage the use of our facilities by offering a one ride ticket.
The uphill committee is currently reviewing options to develop a permission-based system for special occasions that would enable safe access during the restricted times detailed above.
-Black diamond closure
A couple years ago, with the help of local avalanche professionals, we created an avalanche safety plan (ASP) and avalanche control procedures as is required by Worksafe BC.
Having significant avalanche activity in our black diamond runs over the years, we simply can not allow access to the public when our ski patrol team is not there to implement our ASP.
Based on the survey feedback, there appears to be some confusion about the ability to ski out of Terminator for users coming out of the backcountry. Please note, this ski out is not restricted, and the map was updated partway through last season (see below map excerpt from our webpage https://mymountaincoop.ca/uphill/.
-Backcountry access:
It was mentioned a few times in the survey that backcountry access should stay free and unrestricted. We want to be clear that the uphill program was created to manage uphill access exclusively within the Ski Area Boundary, not in the backcountry.
The concept of charging for mid week parking instead of charging for the uphill access through the area boundary, suggested by many survey respondents, is currently being reviewed by the committee. Paid Parking has been reviewed in the past as an option both to generate revenue, and create more available parking in the Shames main lot. The concept of paid parking at Shames has not been well received in the past.
❖ Consultation
We understand that communication could have been better and we are working on improving it. We are discussing different options to keep our guests and members updated.
Please keep an eye at our uphill webpage:
And if you have not subscribed to our mailing list please do:https://mymountaincoop.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=7e49450f1200297bd9970df55&id=cc4c2e0a4e